Date of Award

8-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Tahirah Abdullah

Abstract

Black immigrants represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. Black population, yet their unique racialized and cultural experiences remain understudied within psychological research. This thesis examined how ethnic-racial socialization and resistance and empowerment against racism can influence how race-related stress was associated with psychological distress among Black immigrants in the United States. This study tested a moderated moderation model to determine whether ethnic-racial socialization and resistance and empowerment against racism, independently and jointly, buffered the adverse effects of race-related stress on psychological distress. Using data from a larger IRB-approved study on racism and mental health among people of color, analyses focused on Black participants of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latine, and African descent residing in the U.S. Results indicated that race-related stress was significantly and positively associated with psychological distress. However, neither ethnic-racial socialization or resistance and empowerment against racism significantly moderated this relationship, either independently or jointly. This project contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Black mental health by challenging monolithic representations of Black experiences and highlighting how culturally grounded protective processes take shape within Black immigrant communities.

Comments

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